A Mother's Breaking Point
by Percyjacksonfan3
Summary: Sally learns that Percy didn't survive the Giant War. It's heartfelt, it;s angsty, it's got character death. It may make you cry. You have been warned.


**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Sally Jackson could handle a lot of things.

Her parents, Jim and Laura Jackson, had both died when she was 5 in a plane crash. She hardly remembered them at all apart from her fathers roaring laugh that she had heard quite often and her mothers warm smile. After that she had gone to live with her uncle, Rich Jackson who did the best he could; but let's be honest. If he had wanted kids, if he had been good with them, he would have had some himself. Instead he got stuck with his orphaned niece. And in Sally's last year of high school he got sick, ran out of medical insurance, and needed her to take care of him. So she dropped out after a few months of her final year and helped ease her uncle out of this world.

But all those years she suffered more than she should have, more than was necessary. Why? Because she saw monsters and people she shouldn't have been able to see, everywhere. There were slobbering hellhounds, snake women... and to make it all worse she saw people, children actually, fighting them occasionally. But before she could every speak to them, or get them to see her, they would make the monster dissapear in golden dust and leave in a blink of an eye.

She grew up thinking she was crazy, and after she pointed out the things she saw to her friends and realized they couldn't see the same things, she stopped telling people. It was only when she and a few friends went to Montauk Beach for a summer Sally met her first god.

And god he was. One of the Big Three, arguably the most powerful god in existence, Poseidon Ruler of the Seas was Sally's salvation in her mind. He explained to her why she saw him walking around with a glowing trident, told her all about Greek Gods, monsters and demigods. He made her understand, made her realize what was going on around her.

He was also her first love, something that was even more tragic than the rest of her miserable life put together. He was a god, there was no way he could love her back, or stay with her. He was married to a goddess, his brother was Zeus, and there was a pact that he could not have children because that child would determine the fate of the world.

There had been moments though, when Sally had thought she saw love in his eyes, the way he held her. Maybe it had been her wishing, but she had thought several times before he left, that although he may not be able to say it, perhaps he had felt for her after all. And then he had had to leave her.

But love was supposed to conquer all, wasn't it? That was what Sally had thought as she realized she was falling hard for this Lord of the Seas. And when she found out she was pregnant with Percy and Poseidon was leaving to help keep them both safe, she had wished with all her heart that in this case that was true.

Percy had been born and the first monster had come within the first week of his life. So Sally had married Gabe Ugliano, a man who stank up everywhere he went, abused her every chance he got, demanded all he could and more, and made sure Sally never got anything she wanted.

Monsters had still come for Percy but thankfully Gabe's foul stench warded them off. But as he grew older, more monsters would come more often and Sally would worry herself all day and night for the safety of her little boy. He was the one thing in this world she couldn't survive without, of that she was sure. She could suffer through anything except losing him.

Then Percy had found out he was a demigod and gone on more quests than Sally liked to remember and she had worried endlessly day and night whenever he was gone. When he was at Camp Half-Blood she had relaxed a bit, knowing monsters couldn't get him there, but she would always fret over him. And then during the Titan War after Percy had left for the River Styx... Those had been some of the hardest days of Sally's life.

But then Percy had won and everything was good for a bit. Or as good as it could have been and Sally allowed herself to believe that maybe, just maybe, her son would get some peace and not have to take part in this new prophecy. Apollo had apparently told Percy that the Prophecy may not happen until they were all long dead and Sally had prayed to every god she could that was true.

She should have prayed to the Fates instead. It seemed like every bad situation in the demigod world had something to do with Percy at the moment. When he had been gone... Sally had cried herself to sleep for a week before Annabeth told her they knew where he was. Then the girl had broken the news that they couldn't go save him without a huge war ship that was currently being built, which would take months, and Sally had cried again knowing how easily Percy could be killed in that time.

Sally had cursed Hera to her brothers realm many times that day, because if she ever got hold of the goddess the Underworld would be paradise compared to what she had in store for her. Percy had dissapeared and Sally had worried. Paul had hardly been able to help her when he was so worried himself.

And then she had gotten an Iris-message from Chiron saying that Percy and Annabeth had fallen into Tartarus together and Sally hadn't been able to move for a few minutes. After she had calmly thanked Chiron for telling her and then burst into tears after the centaur had given her a last look of pity and dissolving the message.

The weeks following that Sally had hardly left the apartment. Her writing had been put on hold and Paul had told her over and over again Percy would be fine. But she hadn't seen her little boy for months and Sally wouldn't be reassured until he was in her arms again.

So you see, Sally was used to hardships in life. She got through them with a combination of hope for the future, determination, and the will to be strong for others.

But everyone had a breaking point. And Sally had just found hers.

The moment Chiron's face had appeared in an Iris-message Sally had known something was wrong. His face had looked more grave than she had ever seen it. His eyes held pain, so much pain, and from the looks of it he had a few injuries.

"Chiron?" She had asked in surprise. She hadn't expected the centaur to contact her, thinking that the Giant War must be ending today. She had wondered if Percy would message her but he hadn't done so and truthfully she hadn't thought to hear from anyone else.

The centaur had seemed to find it hard to meet her eyes. "Sally, my dear-"

"Where's Percy? How's the battle coming along?" Sally had interrupted him, flashing him a smile from her position of standing just outside the living room. Paul had gone to work and Sally was currently holding a spray bottle and dirty rag, working on dusting everything in sight to distract herself from thoughts.

Chiron had shifted on his hooves, wincing as he moved his right arm which was currently in a cast. Behind him there were shapes but Sally couldn't see them clearly and was too busy focusing on the centaur to care. She assumed they were demigods moving around, but Chiron was outside and taking up Sally's full view.

"We won the War Mrs. Jackson."

Relief had filled her at his words and Sally had actually breathed out, feeling the weight she had felt on her shoulder disappear. She smiled, more brightly this time. "That's great Chiron. Can I speak to Percy? I known he may be helping the other kids out, but I really want to-"

"Sally." Chiron cut across her and the tone of his voice made Sally freeze in place. It was the same tone Poseidon had used to anounce he was leaving, the same tone that had been in Paul's voice when he had gotten off the phone with Camp and had told her that Percy was missing. It was the tone that the social worker had used to tell her that her parents had died and the voice the surgeon had used to break the news that her Uncle had died. "Sally," the centaur repeated, "Percy- well I have some news-"

"Where is he Chiron?" Sally managed to demand, and she saw Chiron draw in a deep breath. "Where is my son?" She asked frantically, ignoring the feeling that had suddenly appeared to consume her entire being.

"Sally- I'm very sorry to have to tell you- well Percy- he tried to save so many people- it was a quick death," Chiron paused to draw in a breath, "Sally, he didn't survive this one."

She hated him. Sally had never hated anyone before, not even Gabe, but in that moment she hated Chiron with every fibre of her being.

"No." She shook her head. "You have it wrong, Percy's not- he can't be. Chiron, he promised he would see me again, promised to come home. Percy would never break a promise to me, you know that."

His eyes were filled with pity and a saddening pain that probably reflected what she felt herself. Sally didn't know, she felt numb. Too numb to feel, to think. Her brain was a haze and she couldn't form another sentence, couldn't speak or move.

"I'm so sorry Sally. Everyone here- I have never seen the Camp like this before. Your son will be missed by all of us, me included. Especially, Zeus knows that boy was like my own son-"

Sally only registered one word Chiron spoke and latched onto it like someone who had starved for years grabbing a piece of food. "Zeus! What about the gods? Poseidon will bring Percy back to me, I know he will. He loves Percy, and Zeus owes Percy just as the other gods do. They'll be able to bring him back, or-or..."

She trailed off as Chiron shook his head. "I'm sorry Sally, but the gods cannot change the decree of the Fates. It is against the Ancient Laws to allow someone to live again."

Sally narrowed her eyes. "They could make him into a god. They've done that before, they could do it again. And what about the story of Orpheus? He was almost allowed to leave with his wife, he almost brought her back. Can't someone go and- and ... doesn't Hades owe my son?! Don't all of the gods owe him for saving them? Why can't they save him!"

Sally was switching topics, her mind was a mess. She could hardly think a rational thought and the pounding of her heart in her head was disconcerting. The room was spinning and she was breathing too fast and her eyesight was going blurry but she would not allow the thought that her son was dead, that he was gone, to enter her mind.

Chiron looked at her quietly. "Percy was offered immortality and he denied it. The gods would not offer it a second time for fear of being rejected again. They have too much pride for that. As for Percy living again, it is quite impossible. I'm sorry Sally, I truly am. You don't know how much his passing pains me, I cared for him much more than I should have let myself, got much too attached."

Sally wasn't listening, all she had interpreted from his words was no, those suggestions would not work. She needed something else, anything else, that would save her son.

And then she thought of it.

"Annabeth," she gasped, chest heaving from everything she was feeling. "What about Annabeth? She would save him, she would go to Hades and back for him, I know she would."

At this Chiron visibly flinched. "Annabeth has been inconsolable. She... I'm not quite sure what's happened but she seems dead in everything except fact. She breathes, eats, but barely, and sleeps when she is too exhausted not to. But she doesn't say anything, shows no sign of life. It is... worse, much worse, than I expected it would ever be. Percy was taken from her so suddenly I fear her mind doesn't know how to cope with it. Annabeth will not be able to help you Sally."

"What about the other demigods? He had lot's of friends, and surely... what about Grover? Or Tyson? Travis and Connor, Clarisse, Thalia and Nico?"

Chiron shook his head. "They are all grief stricken, but Sally they have all accepted his death."

Sally was shaking her head again, although she couldn't remember deciding to do so. "Poseidon. Poseidon will save him. Percy's our son, Chiron, and Poseidon loves him..."

Chiron paused before answering, obviously choosing his words carefully. "Sally, Poseidon is the most grieved of us all apart from perhaps Annabeth and yourself. I have never seen any of the gods affected so deeply by their childs passing, but you must understand. To go against the Fates is to go against everything. You could not win against them, and if somehow he did, we would not survive without them. Poseidon cannot battle his brothers and he knows that. He knows there is nothing he can do, and he would like to let his son's memory rest in peace."

Sally's mind scrambled for something else, anything else, that may help her son. Any other person, any other thing.

But there was nothing.

Through her numb, haze filled mind, Sally finally registered 3 words.

Percy was gone.

Dead.

Never to be held in her arms again. Never to be fed another cookie, or crack another joke, or throw another pencil in frustration. He was gone, forever, and Sally would never see him again.

She let out a scream, forgetting Chiron was still watching her, and threw the spray bottle at the wall. It hit, causing a slight crack, but she harldy noticed. Sally picked up the next thing she found, a picture of Percy blowing out his 7th birthday cake, and hurled it at the wall, yelling and crying as she did so.

Sally clawed at her face, not enough to pierce skin, but enough to cause pain and fell to her knees, sobbing harder than she had ever sobbed before.

For the first time in her life, Sally wished she had never been born. Wished that she wasn't alive.

The pain that currently held her was so overwhelming that she could scarcely get breath. Her body was no longer hers as she was no longer able to feel it, and her mind wasn't making any sense so that couldn't be hers either. Percy couldn't be dead, she was going crazy. Or this was a dream and soon she would wake up. This was not her life, this was not real. Percy was alive, as he always had been, and soon he would come up to her talking loudly and hug her. He would smell like his father, of sea, but he would always have that cookie smell to him that she loved so much. His eyes would sparkle and he would make her laugh and Sally would forget all about this horrible day.

But that never happened. The apartment door stayed firmly shut and there was no one else in the room but her.

Sally screamed again, screamed through a hoarse, choked up, throat, and tried to make sense of something, anything.

But all she could do was slump even farther, and cling to herself, holding her arms around her stomach as if the burning, ill feeling there would disappear if she squeezed hard enough.

It didn't.

Finally, after minutes, or hours, or days, Sally wasn't really sure and she didn't really care, she stopped crying, her tears having run out. She stood, on shaky legs, and opened her puffy eyes.

Her vision was still blurry, but the faces in front of her were clear enough and burned themselves into her mind.

Chiron was still there, but behind him there were hundreds and hundreds of demigods. Some she recognized, Clarisse, Travis, Katie, and many others who were friends of Percy, but most were unfamiliar.

Almost all of those faces had tears running down their cheeks.

And then someone stepped out of the crowd from behind a tall blonde boy with eyes exactly like Thalia's and a girl who's eyes changed colors. Her blonde hair was in a worse state than Sally had ever seen and her frame was shaking. Or maybe it was Sally that was shaking and everything else just seemed like it was. Her grey eyes were dull, holding nothing, but when she met Sally's eyes something painful flickered there.

"Annabeth," Sally croaked.

Annabeth closed her eyes and took in a deep breath that shook her whole frame. Clarisse stepped out to support her, because even Sally could see Annabeth looked dangerously close to collapsing, but Annabeth shook the other girl off.

When her eyes opened they were filled with so much pain that Sally knew that she was the only one who would ever know what the young girl was feeling. "Sally," she whispered.

The demigods seemed to draw in a breath as one, apprently as shocked at the sound of Annabeth's voice as Sally was. It was faint, and there was something in it that made Sally never want to hear it again.

"He's gone, Sally. I tried-, gods know how hard I tried, but I was too late and he was choking and it all happened so fast-" Annabeth cut herself off before continuing again. "He died. Right in front of my eyes, I saw him. I watched the life leave him and the last thing he saw was my eyes staring back at him. I made sure I was the last thing he saw. I couldn't- I don't- there's nothing- I don't know what to do anymore."

Sally shuddered at the same time as Annabeth stopped talking. Everyone else was staring at them, Sally could feel it, but all she wanted was Percy back. Percy here, in her arms, to tell them all that he was fine and to stop worrying. She wanted her little boy, the one thing she loved above all else, and she wanted him now.

Parents were supposed to outlive their children, and now Sally knew why. It was absolute torture, knowing she would never see her boy again. There was pain in every breath, every thought, she could feel it coarsing through her.

It was worse than a poison, worse than how Percy described holding the sky had felt. It was worse than everything.

Without a word Sally met Chiron's eyes one more time, ignoring Annabeth who was trembling and everyone else who was trying to help her. She met the centaurs eyes and saw something harden in them right before she swiped her hand through the Iris-message.

And then Sally was alone.

oooOOOooo

**So there it is... I'm not quite sure where this came from. All I know was that when I woke up I had the idea of this in my head. It's pretty dark but it is what it is. **

**If you hadn't noticed... I'm back from Camp. Had a great time btw, but I'm glad to have my laptop back in front of me and internet at my disposal. **

**Review! The only reward a writer gets is feedback from their readers and I would really appreciate it. **

**Love you all!**

**Percyjacksonfan3**


End file.
